Ex-Rockets Guard Listed Among NBA's Most Overrated Players

In many respects, Jalen Green was drafted No. 2 overall to be the Houston Rockets' replacement for James Harden. The Rockets had dealt Harden six months prior to the 2021 NBA Draft, which was headlined by Green and Cade Cunningham. 

Evan Mobley was also an option for Houston, but the franchise opted for Green's sheer ability to score instead. Understandably so, as Green was drawing comparisons to Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine - two All-NBA bucket-getters.

Green lived up to the hype....sort of.

Just last season he ranked No. 13 in total scoring and No. 11 in made threes. Night in and night out, he was the main cover for opposing defenses, which was on display during the Rockets' 2025 postseason series against the Golden State Warriors. 

Green's inability to consistently deliver when the opposing team’s primary objective was to take him out of the game became frustrating, to put it politely. The all-time greats are able to produce no matter the stakes.

Think Harden, who averaged at least 30 points in three consecutive seasons. Think Kevin Durant, who Green was traded for, who has averaged at least 25 points in 15 consecutive seasons.

Green’s talent level wasn't always in alignment with his on-court production. Thus, he landed on Bleacher Report's list of the most overrated players of the last half decade, ranking fifth.

"Scorching-hot February-and-onward stretches do him a disservice." said NBA writer Dan Favale. "They kept hopes alive for him to reach stardom, ensuring expectations would never align with the career-long returns.

Green can look the part of a lead ball-handler and scoring option when measuring his performance through the eye test. His on-ball speed is tantalizing, and he's a combination of crafty and detonative around the basket.

Still, the numbers are what they are: not good. Averaging over 20 points per game for his career sounds glitzy, but it has come on suboptimal efficiency both on- and off-ball and without enough playmaking development.

The 23-year-old has posted a better-than-league-average clip on unassisted shot attempts just once, according to BBall Index. His shooting percentage on spot-ups has peaked in the 60th percentile—and placed in the 0th percentile this past year. His assist-to-usage ratio has never ascended past the 27th percentile. And through his tenure with the Houston Rockets, they posted a better net rating during his on-court time only once."

Perhaps a change of scenery might do the trick for Green. And sometimes getting traded can cause players to flip a switch.

Also, being the second scoring option, like he'll be with the Phoenix Suns behind Devin Booker, might be his most natural fit.